


Black Out Every Fear I've Been Facing

by nuttymussel



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Getting Together, M/M, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 02:59:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16338536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuttymussel/pseuds/nuttymussel
Summary: Zhenya hadn’t wanted to text Sid. Sid had enough on his plate recovering from another damned concussion, he didn’t need Zhenya stressing out at him at the same time. If Sid knew about the new werewolf, it wouldn’t be a problem. But Sid's shifter status had meant Zhenya researched werewolves an awful lot, and he’d quickly learned what happened when more than one wolf shifter stopped in one area. He didn’t relish the thought of a territory dispute in his backyard.





	Black Out Every Fear I've Been Facing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bicroft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bicroft/gifts).



> I don't like this one as much as my first fic, for some reason this one was really difficult to write? Hope you like it though bicroft! Inspired by your "werewolves mate for life" suggestion - I changed it up a little, but I hope it delivers! Title from the song Revolution by The Score, because I'm cheesy, there are lyrics about wolves, and listen to this album on repeat.

_Is there new shifter in neighbourhood? See wolf in woods, you know about??_

Zhenya hadn’t wanted to text Sid. Sid had enough on his plate recovering from another damned concussion, from the fucking preseason, he didn’t need Zhenya stressing out at him at the same time. And if Sid did know about the new werewolf, it wouldn’t be a problem. It’s not like _Zhenya_ had a problem with there being werewolves in the area. Sid was a werewolf, and that had never been an issue for Zhenya – or anyone else on the team. But it had meant Zhenya researched werewolves an awful lot back when he first found out – and hadn’t _that_ team meeting been awkward as fuck – and he’d quickly learned what happened when more than one wolf shifter stopped in one area. He didn’t relish the thought of a territory dispute in his backyard. 

Well. The woods weren’t quite in his backyard. But Sid lived close by and had spent quite a bit of time in Zhenya’s house over the years. Not that Zhenya thought that was a bad thing. Sid being so terrible at being alone, his intense need to be with his team, his _pack_ down in Pittsburgh, was just another thing that made him Sid. It was… sweet, in a weird, frequently obnoxious way. But the idea of Sid trying to fight a hostile newcomer in his current state was unnerving, so there was nothing wrong with Zhenya inquiring. 

That’s what he told Seryozha, anyway, when he called to complain about Sid’s response. 

“You’re not taking me seriously, either of you,” Zhenya huffed, rubbing a finger across the furrow between his eyebrows. “In what world is ‘nothing to worry about’ reassuring? Or enough explanation? He’s terrible.” 

Seryozha just laughed. “Maybe you just saw a normal wolf? Or a large dog? Or maybe it was Sidney, out to stretch his legs.” 

Zhenya snorted and turned to look out of his kitchen window. “You’re forgetting things in your old age, Seryozha, you know Sid suppresses his transformations. I know I’m right, I know what a werewolf looks like. I just don’t want any trouble.” 

“Then don’t borrow any, Zhenya. Maybe you did see a werewolf, but maybe Sidney is right and there’s nothing to worry about, hmm? Let him handle it how he wants. We all know how miserable he gets when he can’t skate.” 

Zhenya sighed but relented. “Fine. But if this new wolf sticks around and things go badly, I’m blaming you.” Seryozha just hung up on him. Zhenya threw his phone on the counter and stalked off into the den to distract himself. 

And that would’ve been that, except… the wolf wasn’t going away. It came back a few days later, when Zhenya was drinking tea after dinner. It was maybe getting too cold to sit outside, but Zhenya wasn’t going to regret it when in his peripheral vision he caught a whisper of movement through the trees, a glimpse of dark fur. He stood sharply from his seat on the deck, but whatever he’d seen was gone. It had to be the wolf. Did it think of this edge of the woods as it’s territory? Zhenya swore under his breath and strained his eyes looking for any sign of the new arrival, but it was useless. He sat back down and cupped his tea between his hands, hoping the warmth would ease his sudden nerves. 

He didn’t know why this was such a big deal in his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking of the new wolf, of the possibility of it hurting Sid. Sid never transformed for some unknown reason Zhenya had never understood. Probably hockey, though Zhenya wasn’t sure how the two could conflict. It wasn’t like those old wives tales about the full moon were true. He shook his head and returned inside to distract himself with that show about puppies. He’d talk to Sid at practice tomorrow, get a real answer from Sid about what the situation was. 

_/_/_/\\_\\_\\_

Practice the next day was brutal. It seemed like Sullivan and the other staff were determined to see them all passed out on the ice. 

“Never complain about back-to-back games again if it saves from practice like this,” Zhenya whined, draping an arm around Carl. Carl snorted and leaned more heavily on his stick to offset Zhenya’s weight. 

“Yeah, coach is looking a bit vindictive today, huh?” Phil smiled. Zhenya looked away and saw Sully talking intently to Sid, who was sat on the bench in workout clothes. Sid glanced over and Zhenya grinned, leaning even more onto Haggy until he lost his footing and threw Zhenya off. Sid’s laugh filled the air between them and Zhenya’s grin felt stuck to his face. He’d always liked Sid’s laugh, an unstoppable, infectious giggle. Sullivan turned and rolled his eyes. 

“Your line can set up and start edgework drills if you’ve nothing better to do, Malkin!” Sully called, smirking. Zhenya groaned under his breath and hustled Carl and Phil to the boards. Back to work. 

In the locker room after practice, Zhenya couldn’t help but keep looking over at Sid. Usually he wasn’t this happy when he wasn’t able to skate, and God but Zhenya hated that Sid had a ‘usual’ injured demeanour but he was grinning at Horny as if he’d just scored. Zhenya watched as Horny turned away and Sid’s eyes flicked down, oblivious to Zhenya’s gaze. His face turned blank and sullen with seemingly nobody watching. _There_ it was, Zhenya thought, and exhaled sharply. He was as moody as usual without hockey. Sid took a deep breath and his head jerked up towards Zhenya. Their eyes locked and Zhenya smiled; Sid smiled back but turned away immediately. Zhenya rolled his eyes and pulled his jacket on. Sid always pretended he didn’t thrive on team interaction almost as much as being on the ice. He wandered over to Sid and pushed gently at his shoulder. 

“Lazy today, hmm? You need to keep working out or you’ll never catch up with my points,” Zhenya smirked and sat down on the bench next to Sid. 

Sid rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I shouldn’t even be out that much longer, I’m feeling better.” As he said it, though, he leaned slightly into Zhenya’s side and closed his eyes. 

Zhenya’s brow furrowed slightly. “Lights okay? Or just tired from all that hard work you do today?” 

Sid snorted, but shifted so he was further away from Zhenya. He looked up and smiled. “The light’s fine, stop worrying, G. I promise, I’m okay.” 

Zhenya smiled back at Sid, who was obviously trying so hard to seem okay. “I’m come to yours for lunch? Want to talk about text I send you. Think the wolf is staying around,” Zhenya said quietly. It’s not that shifter stuff was taboo in the locker room; Horny’s wife came from a family of European nightjar shifters, and everyone knew about Kris’s biannual shifts, even if he’d never told them what he fucking shifted into. But Sid’s status was never mentioned, maybe because he seemed so uncomfortable with it. He never transformed, never brought up anything about werewolves, and never liked any quirks of his being blamed on his shifter status. All this made Zhenya feel a little uneasy bringing up the new wolf in the locker room, but he needed to know Sid was fine with it hanging around. The wolf had come back the night before, earlier in the evening this time, brown-grey fur only just visible against the trees in the rain. And Zhenya had sworn he’d seen the wolf this morning, as well, this time even closer to the edge between the woods and the boundaries of his yard. That was what had made him square his shoulders and brace for what Sid was bound to make an awkward conversation. 

Sid sighed, and his eyes flickered over to the people nearest to them; Horny and Phil giggling over… something, Jake on their other side texting his girlfriend. “I told you, it’s nothing to worry about,” he said, running a hand over his head. Zhenya just looked at him, and Sid shook his head, but his smile returned slowly. “Alright, meet you at mine.” Zhenya nodded and wandered to his car, happy Sid had given in.

_/_/_/\\_\\_\\_

Whatever Zhenya told himself about how important it was to find out Sid’s opinion on the new wolf, by the time he met Sid at his house he wasn’t sure how to bring the topic up again. Sid offered him food and he agreed quickly, cutting meat and rooting around in Sid’s fridge for pickles. He turned around to see Sid spreading Zhenya’s preferred brand of mayonnaise on one of the sandwiches and felt his chest warm. Sid was always taking care of his team, had made it a personal mission to be friendly and available for every player and their family. Zhenya gently hip-checked Sid and started placing the meat on the sandwiches. They ate quietly stood next to each other, too hungry after their work-outs to talk until their plates were cleared. Zhenya collected the plates and dropped them in the sink for later, and while he was turned away Sid spoke up. 

“It’s really nothing to worry about, you know. I don’t know what you think is going to happen, but everything’s fine.” Sid’s voice was quiet, but firm; Zhenya had a sudden flashback to last year’s playoffs and the tone of Sid’s pregame speeches. He turned and leaned back against the sink, watching Sid. He was still sat down and looked healthy except for a tightening around his eyes that Zhenya knew meant he was getting a headache. Not wanting to drag this out until Sid got ill, Zhenya rolled his eyes. 

“You know for sure? You know wolf won’t cause trouble?” Sid looked at the table. 

“I don’t know why you’re so worried, but yeah, I know there’ll be no trouble.”

“I’m worry because you’re _concussed_ , Sid, I don’t want you to get more hurt. You talk to them, that how you know?”

Sid sighed impatiently and flicked his eyes back up. The back of Zhenya’s neck prickled. He felt pinned to the counter, for once intimately aware that Sid was a shifter.

“You’re not letting this go, are you?” At Zhenya’s head shake, Sid huffed an unamused laugh. “I didn’t want to spread this around, okay? It’s me. I’m the wolf.” 

Zhenya’s brain suddenly felt muddled, as if he was struggling to keep up with the conversation. “You don’t transform, though. On suppressants.” 

“I was, yeah. Never particularly liked shifting, as a kid. But my doctor suggested coming off them, she thought it might help my head, and it worked. I feel a lot better, I really do. See? Nothing to worry about.” Sid looked almost defiant, as if daring Zhenya to be upset that Sid was successfully managing his health. 

“I guess no problem then,” Zhenya said wryly. “You should have just told me straight away in text, Sid. Would be nice not worry so much, think you still sick, you know?” 

Sid smiled and stood up, and Zhenya saw his mouth tighten as he moved. Zhenya started walking backwards towards the door, reaching for his shoes. “I am still sick, I guess. That’s why I keep shifting; I feel better every time. I didn’t want to tell anyone, in case it was just a fluke. It’s not like I thought anyone would notice, I’m hardly around the team now.” Even not looking at his face, Zhenya knew he was pouting.

Zhenya rolled his eyes. “Ha! Sid, you always around even when sick. And of course I notice, practically in my backyard.” 

“What?” Sid’s voice sounded strained; Zhenya really needed to leave, this headache was getting worse fast. 

“Wolf in woods! Can see from my backyard. What, you think I go looking for them? Right by tree edge,” Zhenya grumbled, eyes teasing as he looked back up at Sid. Sid smiled as if he couldn’t help himself. “Bye, Sid. Go nap, then shift. Feel better.” Sid’s smile grew even as his eyes scrunched up in pain. 

“Okay, yeah. See you tomorrow, G.” Zhenya nodded and pushed Sid’s shoulder lightly as he left. 

Well. That explained that, then. 

_/_/_/\\_\\_\\_

Two days later, Zhenya spotted Sid as he pulled into the car park. Zhenya’s eyes were bright; he had a good feeling about the game tonight, his nap had left him refreshed, and Sid was obviously feeling better if he was hanging around pre-game. He poked his tongue out and smiled to himself as he watched Sid talk on the phone: he hadn’t been quiet about how nice it was to hear from Taylor more often than usual this early in the season. Zhenya almost didn’t want to interrupt, but Sid deserved some chirping and Zhenya wasn’t going to bring up the transformations around the rest of the guys if Sid wanted it kept quiet. 

The wolf had stayed away the night of Sid and Zhenya’s conversation but had been back the next afternoon. Zhenya had been clearing up after lunch when he spotted Sid wandering through the trees. He was further back than during the previous sightings, head lowered as if he was trying to be sneaky. Zhenya’s mouth softened into a smile as he watched Sid slink towards the fence. He grabbed his tea mug and strode onto the patio. 

“Too late for lunch, come back for dinner!” He called. Sid’s head shot up and he froze, shuffled backwards into the woods from where he’d been emerging, and ran away. Zhenya sighed and shook his head. Even with Sid having told him what the situation was, he was still intent on acting as if Zhenya didn’t know the wolf was him. Zhenya went back inside and texted Sid a few laughing emojis, which went unanswered. 

Zhenya crept towards Sid from the opposite direction, out of his field of vision. As he was thinking of something to say – maybe ‘I’m think you like my cooking, you lie to me?’ – he overheard Sid’s conversation with Taylor and froze.

“I know what you want me to do, Taylor, but I can’t. I barely understand all this stuff, and at least you’ve got a specialist nearby. I’m practically figuring this stuff out on my own.” Sid heaved a huge sigh. Zhenya did an about face and used the next entrance into the arena, his head spinning. What was Sid dealing with on his own? Why would he need a specialist; was this to do with his concussion? Did that mean Taylor was injured as well? Zhenya walked to the player’s lounge and started his game-day routine on autopilot. He had to push these thoughts away, however difficult: he had a game to play, had to lead the team in Sid’s absence. Hopefully he could get Sid to let him know what that was all about afterwards.

_/_/_/\\_\\_\\_

They _won_ , somehow, and Zhenya got second star, and now they were crowded into some bar in Pittsburgh, Sid giggling and squashed in between Zhenya and Flower, and Zhenya wanted another drink. They were supposedly just winding down after the game, celebrating calmly in the early days of the season, but Zhenya had never felt so electric, stuck in the corner of the booth next to Sid. He hadn’t stopped talking about Zhenya’s goal since they got there. And it _had_ been a brilliant goal, unassisted and just what the team needed for the comeback against San Jose, but usually Zhenya was up and dancing, or propped up at the bar with Phil. It wasn’t often he got pushed into the booth Sid and the French Canadians invariably found, much less that he stayed there all evening. He felt settled like this, having Sid next to him, injured but bright-eyed and smiling widely as Kris yelled at Pouliot to get another round. Before he was ushered off, Flower reappeared with a tray of shots. 

“Fuck Vlasic!” He yelled over the music, and their entire corner of the bar cheered as Flower wandered off to find Matt. Zhenya reached for a shot to find one being held out for him by Sid, who was grinning around his glass of water. Zhenya tipped the shot in thanks and swallowed it down, relishing the way the glass sounded as he dropped it to the table with a loud _thunk_. 

“Out of my way, bathroom time,” Zhenya grumbled, shoving lightly at Sid’s shoulder. 

“What if I don’t?” Sid asked, eyes huge and mischievous. Zhenya snorted and caught Kris’s eye, saw him raise his eyebrows in disbelief. Zhenya looked back at Sid and pushed him again. 

“Then I push you on floor and climb over booth, and then we get kicked out for causing fuss. So sad, Sid, and all your fault,” Zhenya replied. Sid giggled loudly and rolled his eyes, standing up to let Zhenya out of the booth. As he stood they were almost pressed against each other, and Zhenya took a step back to grab the last shot on the table. He drank it quickly and handed it to Sid instead of putting it on the table. “Your round,” he said, and turned away to go find the bathroom. 

As he walked away, he heard Sid’s loud laugh as he slid back into the booth opposite Kris. Zhenya pissed and washed his hands, avoiding his own reflection in the mirror. He felt awkward and flushed. Usually he was better at keeping a lid on his _thing_ about Sid; not growing but never going away completely, especially not when Sid was like this, happy and teasing, after such a long month of injured misery. Zhenya thought back to Sid after he finally came back to hockey in March 2012, the way he could light up any room with his pure joy at doing what he loved again, and sighed to himself. No, this was never going away. He weaved slowly back through the bar to the booth and spotted the new tray of shots. Next to catch Zhenya’s eye was the curve of Sid’s pale neck, head bowed and held in his hands. The happiness wasn’t entirely authentic, then. He slipped around the group of hockey players, inserting himself next to Kuni and Haggy but straining his ears in case Sid said anything. Zhenya watched from the corner of his eye as Sid raised his head and shook it at Kris. 

“I’m not acting weird, Tanger. I promise, nothing is going on,” Sid said firmly. Zhenya found himself putting concerted effort into not letting his eyebrows shoot up. Sid tried not to act as if he had favourites, but he totally did, and Tanger was one of Sid’s closest friends on the team. If Sid wasn’t telling him, he must really not want it spread around. Zhenya’s chest warmed as he realised he may well be the only one Sid had trusted. He walked back to the table and grinned at both shifters. Sid smiled brightly at him, and Kris just looked amused. Sid only ever got like this when he was drunk, before his first concussion; since then, it was almost as if simply the act of being out with the team was enough to make him giddy. He usually spent the night wandering around, drifting from group to group and talking earnestly with everyone, determined everyone should feel included. But not tonight; tonight he had barely left his seat, content to let the others bring him water as he talked with Zhenya, Kris and Flower. Zhenya took another shot while keeping eye contact with Sid and felt his stomach twist. Zhenya placed the glass on the table and pressed his other hand to his torso. 

“Maybe I should go home,” Zhenya said wryly. “Or I won’t be awake for afternoon practice tomorrow.” Sid giggled, and Zhenya knew he had to leave before he did something rash. He reached out to ruffle Sid’s hair and found instead he was combing his fingers through it slowly. God, he was drunk. 

“Bye, Geno,” Kris said pointedly. 

Zhenya rolled his eyes. “Bye,” he said shortly, waving at the rest of the team distractedly as he got his phone out to call an Uber. It arrived quickly, and he sat in the back with his mind and his head spinning. He needed to get his Sid thing back under control. It would probably go away soon; it usually did. 

_/_/_/\\_\\_\\_

Zhenya woke up with a start and groaned, fumbling for his phone to switch his alarm off. He’d never been particularly good at mornings, but he knew he had to hydrate and get some food in him before practice. His head throbbed, though it wasn’t the worst hangover he’d ever had; mostly just dehydration. He sat up with a grunt and stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, reaching into the fridge for a Gatorade. He drank it down in long gulps and thought about what to make for breakfast. Moving to the recycling bin he kept by the back door, Zhenya glanced up and froze. 

Sid-the-wolf was on his deck. 

Zhenya dropped the empty bottle into the trash and opened the door slowly. This was the closest Sid had ever come in his wolf form, and Zhenya found himself holding his breath. He walked slowly towards the large wolf and crouched down a couple of feet away. Sid was laid on his side, dark fur moving up and down slowly as he breathed. He seemed completely asleep. Zhenya reached out to touch him, hesitated, then lightly brushed his hand over the fur covering Sid’s ribs. It was softer than Jeffrey’s coat, definitively canine in texture but oddly reminiscent of Sid’s hair. Zhenya got a sudden flash of last night, of running his hand through Sid’s hair, and winced. He heard Sid’s breathing change as he woke, and Zhenya watched as Sid began to panic as he felt the hand in his fur. Sid twisted around and Zhenya smiled at him. 

“Morning, idiot. I have spare rooms, you know. Want eggs?” Zhenya spoke softly; even as a wolf, Sid’s expression of worry was clear. Zhenya stood and walked back into the kitchen to start chopping vegetables for breakfast. He thought again and went back to the fridge for some ham. 

It was a few minutes before Sid came inside. His worry had transformed into sheepishness. 

“Sorry, Geno. I didn’t realise I’d come here. Must’ve been tired, eh? I didn’t even notice,” he said cheerily. If not for the fact that he turned away from Zhenya to make coffee, Zhenya would never have realised he was lying. Sid preferred every conversation to be face-to-face, even the ones he hated having. Zhenya thought it was a respect thing, maybe, so Sid’s behaviour now was like a flashing sign: do not believe me. Tread cautiously. 

Zhenya kept chopping the vegetables – an onion, a bell pepper, a zucchini; if there was nothing but ham and cheese Sid would complain – and carefully didn’t look at Sid. “Very tired,” he agreed. “You didn’t even drink. You shift when you get home? Why go for walk?” 

“Don’t think I realised I was that tired. I was a bit restless when I got back. The bar was a bit much, so I left not long after you.”

Zhenya turned around to deposit the vegetables in the frying pan and went to grab some eggs. Sid was watching the coffee machine, back still turned. “You really like these woods, hmm? My patio comfy?” He watched as Sid flinched, hands moving to wrap around the still-empty coffee mug as if hoping to draw comfort from heat that wasn’t there. 

“Yeah, it was okay,” Sid said quietly. “I don’t know why I ended up here, though. Sorry. Like I said, I didn’t even realise until you woke me up.”

“I think you’re lying to me.” Zhenya’s voice seemed to startle Sid, and he stirred the vegetables around the pan, the hissing oil the only sound for a long minute. Zhenya shifted his weight between his feet as he cracked the eggs. Eventually, Sid spoke up over the sounds of cooking food and pouring coffee. 

“The woods feel safe, to me. Being there, it’s calm. I’ve needed calm, the last couple of weeks.” Sid’s voice was quiet, but firm. 

Zhenya chuckled without humour. “You don’t need to run away when I see you, then. Know you don’t like being shifted, being seen, but it’s just me, Sid.” 

“I wasn’t running away from you!” Sid yelped. 

Zhenya hummed in disbelief and waited for Sid to elaborate. He was still watching the coffee pot fill, still holding tight to his mug. Zhenya folded the huge omelette and took it off the heat, cutting it in two with the spatula and sliding each half onto a plate. Zhenya sat at the table and picked up his fork. He wasn’t going to wait for Sid to explain before he ate: the food would get cold, or he’d have to leave for practice on an empty stomach. 

“It’s embarrassing,” Sid admitted. “It’s like I’m a different person, when I’m shifted. I’m so used to second-guessing everything I do that it feels wrong to be so driven by instinct.” 

“It’s just me,” Zhenya repeated softly. 

Sid sighed. He hadn’t picked up the coffee pot, even though it was full now. Honestly, Zhenya thought, it was like he’d forgotten Zhenya would know how long the pot took to fill. “I think it’s because they’re so close to your house? When I’m shifted, the whole area just seems safe, because I trust you.” Zhenya took another bite of omelette and chewed thoughtfully as his hand dropped to the table. “It feels good, to be somewhere that my brain reads as belonging to you.” 

Zhenya pushed aside the thought that _werewolves thought he owned the woods_ and focused on the important part of what Sid had said. “If it feels good, why you run away every time?” He winced as he pushed, knowing he was no better with how he indulged in what felt good and immediately retreated. Again, his mind flashed back to running his hand through Sid’s hair the night before. 

Sid turned around, eyes set on the table. Zhenya intently watched Sid’s mouth move as he tried to figure out what to say. “It’s a shifter thing. You know all that’s new to me. It’s weird, I guess, but shifters are drawn to people that they’re especially compatible with. Like how Cath is way too good for Tanger but they’re also kind of perfect for each other? I guess when I stopped taking those suppressants, I felt it a bit more.” Here, Sid stopped and closed his eyes, as if even the table was becoming painful to look at. Zhenya couldn’t breathe. “You’ve always felt a little bit like home.” 

Zhenya felt floored, awestruck, elated, like a chip-in goal had gone in off the edge of his stick almost without his input. Sid had always made moves like that, leaving Zhenya gaping in his wake as he pulled off game-changing stunts in split second moments of bravery and audaciousness. 

This was the same and different, this was a play Sid had obviously never expected to make and he looked scared he hadn’t pulled it off. This was Sid worried about his pack, and his alternate, and Zhenya needed to _say something_ before he remembered he hated feelings and left Zhenya’s house. 

“I always think I’m over you and I never have been,” Zhenya said, voice low. Sid looked up and furrowed his brows. Zhenya shook his head wryly. “You’re my home too, Sid. Thought it was little thing, or just friends, but it always gets big again. Never thought you’d feel it too.”

“I didn’t realise that I did, really,” Sid confessed, smiling slightly. “I never thought of this, us, as an option. Seemed like asking for too much, somehow. But then the suppressants kind of helped me figure it out, how I felt for you. How long do you think we would have just ignored it?”

“Not like we were pining,” Zhenya said mulishly. “We were just scared.” 

Sid finally sat down across from Zhenya at the table. “I’m glad we don’t need to be scared anymore.” He smiled softly and dug into the omelette. “This is really good,” he said through a mouthful of zucchini and ham and egg. 

Zhenya snorted. “Drink your coffee. I’m drive you home before practice.” 

“Then what?” 

“Then _hockey_ , Sid, oh my God,” Zhenya laughed, tongue poking out from between his teeth. Sid’s eyes brightened as he flushed slightly, hiding his face behind his mug. “Then I’m going to take you out. Show you I’m good person to date. Need to impress you,” Zhenya continued. 

“Trust me, I’m plenty impressed,” Sid said, quickly looking up from his food to flash Zhenya a shy smile. 

“Told you I’m good cook, but you don’t believe me,” Zhenya said mournfully. He smiled at Sid. “Spend some time shifted, get healthy, then we can play again. Can go out.” 

Sid nodded. “I really do feel better, you know. Maybe I should keep shifting, stay off the suppressants?” He seemed almost hesitant again. Zhenya agreed vehemently, reluctant to suggest Sid go back to a state of suppressing his shifted mind. Maybe it was selfish, Zhenya wanting Sid to always feel the compatibility between them, whatever that meant, but he couldn’t make himself care. His chest, glowing and soft as it was, warmed even more at Sid’s relieved smile. He stood to chivvy Sid out of the kitchen. 

“Come on, if we’re late to practice I won’t kiss you later,” Zhenya said as he nudged Sid through the hallway. Sid stumbled slightly and Zhenya snorted. “Okay, I’m lie, of course I will.” He watched the back of Sid’s neck flush pink and grinned. He couldn’t wait to find out more about this secret Sid, who went blotchy during conversations about kissing and was surprisingly frank about his feelings for how much he hated talking. Then again, Sid had surrounded himself with his chosen pack but hidden the part of himself that needed that interaction; Sid had considered Zhenya ‘home’ for years but had only noticed when his wolf form started invading Zhenya’s own home. Sid had always been his own individual world of contradictions, and Zhenya’s interest in unravelling them all was nothing new.

Zhenya turned away from Sid to go upstairs, to brush his teeth and grab his gear and some flip-flops for Sid to wear home. His smile turned almost smug. Sid wanted him. He and Sid were going to be together. He and Sid were _especially compatible_ , drawn towards each other, belonged together. 

He needed to start thinking of some good date ideas.


End file.
